Planeta Malp (Planet of The Apes) poster by Eryk Lipinski (1969)

Eryk Lipinski’s wonderfully evocative poster for the Polish release of Planet of The Apes (Planeta Malp) ranks as one of my all-time favourite movie posters.

Loosely based on Pierre Boulle’s 1953 novel La Planète des Singes the film was directed by Franklin J Schaffner, written by Michael Wilson and Rod Sterling (of Twilight Zone fame) and starred Charlton Heston and Roddy McDowall. The story is set in the distant future where apes have assumed the dominant role in society while humans are subservient and treated like animals. A huge hit when released in 1968 the film went on the spawn four sequels, a lacklustre remake, a successful reboot and a short-lived television series.

Lipinski, a political cartoonist and editor who worked with the Polish underground during World War II, created the poster for the 1969 Polish release of the film, and he did a fantastic job distilling the essence of film. Both bold and arresting his poster instantly grabs your attention, with the unnerving eyes of a gorilla drilling into the observer.

Over his long and award-winning career as a cartoonist and satirist Lipinski created over a dozen movie posters for films as diverse as Anna Karenina (1967), Monte Carlo or Bust (1969) and Day of the Jackal (1973). All of them display both his wit and talent for creating eye-catching images. Although Planeta Malp is my favourite of all his work it’s just one highlight from Lipinski’s long and distinguished career.